Building Culturally Responsive Partnerships Among Schools, Families, and Communities

Learn how to create culturally responsive, socially just school–family partnerships that positively impact student learning outcomes. Responding to the current rise in White supremacy in America, a surge in hate crimes against BIPOC students and families, and the gaping digital divide exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this book addresses the need for educators and schools to develop competency in working with diverse families and their communities. Chapters address misconceptions of school personnel that often result in microaggressions and miscommunications that impede fully including families in the education of their children. Exploring a wide range of sociocultural issues present in today’s schools, readers will learn how to better work with military families during deployment, students with disabilities, families with various living arrangements, immigrant families, and religiously diverse students. The text features engaging, real-life scenarios and research-based practices designed to improve the academic success of all pre-K–12 learners.

Book Features:

• Innovative models for creating culturally responsive family and community engagement initiatives that focus on student success.
• Reflective questions to facilitate discussions in various professional development venues, including schools, university programs for teachers and administrators, and community organizations.
• Concrete examples of successful partnerships involving public schools, a higher education institution, and a public city library.
• An extensive list of resources for building better educational programs and communities.

Maria A. Pacino, a former K–12 teacher in Indiana, was a department chair in the School of Education and is currently the interim head of university libraries at Azusa Pacific University. Susan R. Warren, an experienced educator with 40 years of teaching and administration in higher education and pre-K–12 organizations, is a senior research and evaluation associate with the Claremont Evaluation Center, Claremont, CA.

“This book, edited by Maria Pacino and Susan Warren, contributes to the breadth and depth of this field of study. Every chapter offers new information, updated references, and examples of culturally responsive practices that will interest researchers and educators.”
—From the Foreword by Joyce L. Epstein, director, Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships, Johns Hopkins University

Contents

Foreword Joyce L. Epstein  v

Introduction  1

1.  Defining Culturally Responsive School, Family, and Community Partnerships: From Theory to Practice  9
Susan R. Warren

2.  Changing Trends in American Family Structures: Implications for Educators  46
Susan R. Warren and Bryan D. Bowens

3.  Partnering with Latinx Families: What Are Mexican Immigrant Parents Doing to Prepare Their Children for Schooling in the United States?  98
Jerome C. Zamora and Eugene E. García, Arizona State University

4.  Building Collaborative Partnerships With Parents of Children With Disabilities: Exploring Parent Perspectives  126
Kathryn Scorgie and Maria A. Pacino

5.  Religion and America’s Public Schools  147
Maria A. Pacino

6.  Fostering Home–School Partnerships to Support Children of Military Families During Deployment  169
Kathryn Scorgie and Catherine White

7.  Establishing and Maintaining Socially Just School and Community Partnerships: Engaging Students and Families  186
Maria A. Pacino

Conclusion  214

Resources  219
Books and Journal Articles  219
Children’s Books  234
Young Adult Books  236
Organizations  237

About the Contributors  239

Index  241